Dancing In Shattered Images
by HarryLuvsGinny
Summary: Book 1 of the Dark Lords and Ladies saga
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - The Lingering Sadness

Harry sat reliving Sirius falling through the veil at the end of last term in the Department of Mysteries.

It was a vision that plagued his every waking moment, and every night in his dreams.

The first time this had happened, Uncle Vernon barged into Harry's bedroom, and yelled soundly at him for about ten minutes, for not only ruining their lives, but also their sleep.

Also, Dudley thought he would use that excuse to make Harry's life truly miserable. Dudley had started recounting Harry's sleepless nights, and his screaming to his cronies.

Harry was used to the abuse, because he had suffered through fifteen long years of it. Dudley and Piers thought that by muttering Sirius' name around Harry, it would anger him enough to want to fight them.

It did anger Harry a lot, but he felt as he had lost the will to live. Without Sirius, he truly now had nobody.

Once, or twice, over the first two days of summer, Harry had tried to commit suicide, which he had hoped would bring him closer to both Sirius, and his parents, but always he remembered the good times he and Sirius had had together.

Harry remembered the first time he had met Sirius in the shrieking shack in Hogsmeade, and the flight from the Dementors of Azkaban.

FLASHBACK

"It was good of you to have saved Peter like that," Sirius said to Harry so quietly, so that he could only be heard by Harry.

"It's like I said, Sirius. Even if he did betray my parents, my dad wouldn't want his best friends to murder him."

"I believe you are right. Since Peter, or as we call him Wormtail is going to be put in front of the Ministry, it looks like my time in Azkaban will be all for naught."

"It certainly seems so," Harry agreed.

"Horrible place," Sirius said, his voice trembling with rage. "You would never want to go inside there if you can help it," sirius started, and Harry was surprised to see a tear streaming down his face. "You go mad if you are in there long enough. I think my twelve years in that horrible monstrosity was truly enough."

"At least you were innocent," Hermione said.

"Do you really think that the Dementors care about guilt or innocence?  
As long as they have a couple of hundred people to feed off of, and they are happy. Besides, it was idiots at the Ministy who sent me off to Azkaban without a trial," Sirius said bitterly.

"But you will be cleared now, right," Harry said hopefully.

"And if I am, you are more than welcome to come live with me once I get settled in. I am so happy you know what you meant to your parents. You were their pride and joy. You have your fathers messy hair, and your mothers beautiful eyes. I am so happy I am your god-father," Sirius stated.

FLASHBACK

Harry remember his first meeting with Snuffles very well indeed.

It was just too bad that Peter had changed into his animagus form, a rat (who was known to the Weasley family as Scabbers), and Sirius had been forced to flee yet again.

But, that meeting, with the man who was his god-father had done something to Harry that he had never told anyone.

Meeting Sirius had given Harry a dim sense of hope, like a little ray of sunshine into his life. The possibilty of leaving the Dursleys was a shining beacon for Harry, and it was the worst feeling having it stolen away. Watching his possibilty of freedom fly away on an escaped hippogiff named Buckbeak, had given Harrry the feeling that people actually cared about him.

It felt good knowing people cared about him, even if it was someone who had escaped from the evilest place known to wizardkind, to come to kill Scabbers.

Harry remembered the look in Sirius' eyes when they had first met.  
Sirius' eyes had a faint dusty like look, and almost looked like they had a death-like quality in them.

So, this is what Azkaban can do to someone, Harry thought sourly.  
Azkaban, and the Dementors, what a perfect combination, he thought grimly.

If Azkaban is that bad, Harry thought, than that place in the United States, the place they call Alcatraz must be a cake-walk in comparison. "No soul sucking fiends at that one," Harry muttered to himself.

Harry knew his friends thought he felt he had killed Sirius, and that was very true. Harry had been pulled out of school, due to a vision planted in hs head, by none other than Lord Voldemort himself. Voldemort knew he was playing with Harry's emotions when he inserted Sirius into the vision, and Lord Voldemort knew that Harry would do anything to save his family, or even his friends. The vision still seemed permanately etched into his brain.

Flashback

"Take it for me Black," came the high-pitched, cold voice of Voldemort.

"Haven't you figured it out by now Voldemort," screamed Sirius, "You and Hary are the only two who can pick it up. Show yourself, and take the prophecy yourself, you coward."

"Me, enter the Ministry when everyone there believes me dead, and that Dumbledore and Harry are lying about my rebirth? Not likely. Now, take the prophecy for me, Black, or you will be taking your last breaths" Voldemort said, laughing.

"You will have to kill me then, Voldemort," Sirius said though gritted teeth.

"Before I do, I believe a little fun is in order. Crucio!"

Flashback

That was when Harry became wreckless, and decided to take matter into his own hands. Harry, and five other members of the D.A. all journeyed to London, and had stepped into the trap that had been set by Voldemort.

Flashback

"He's here," Harry said. "This was the aisle that was in my vision."

The six brave adventurers all journeyed farther down the aisle in the Depatment of Mysteries.

"He's not---"

"He should be right down at the end," Harry said, not wanting to heed what the others thought.

As they reached the end of the aisle, they looked towards the next two in line, and Sirius was nowhere to be seen.

"He's not there," Neville stammered. "But, take a look at this. It has your name on it Harry," Neville whispered, as Hary shot to where Neville was.

"Don't touch it," Hermione said. "It could be dangerous."

"It has my name. Are any of you in here?" Harry grabbed hold of the container that held the prophecy.

"Give it to me, Potter," came a drawling voice, which Harry recognized at once, Lucius Malfoy.

FLASHBACK

"If I hadn't gone, Sirius wouldn't be dead, and none of my friends wouldn't have been hurt either," Harry said to himself. Harry knew the weight of the wizarding world rested on his shoulders, now that he knew he would be the one to face Voldemort in the final battle.  
He just didn't think he could live up to everyone's opinions of him.

"He led Sirius to his death," Harry said this to himself, willing himself to believe it as the truth.

"Ah, but it isn't," the voice of Voldemort said inside his head. "If you hadn't have tried to reach him, he wouldn't have needed to save you" Voldemort taunted.

As Harry tried to block out the voice of Voldemort, he realized it wasn't Voldemort's voice at all, but his own. Even I believe I killed him, Harry thought bitterly.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 : Saying Goodbye

Rating: Mature Chapter Reviews: 2 reviews.php?sid172543

Remus Lupin was sitting on his bed at Grimmauld Place crying silently.  
He had now lost all of his best friends. James, and Lily fifteen years previous, Peter, also fifteen years ago when he betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort, and Sirius less than two weeks ago.

Remus knew he was hurting, but he knew that one other person would be hurting more. Harry would be devestated by the loss of Sirius.

As per the wishes of Lily, James, and Sirius, Remus would now be the one to take care of Harry, and the first part would be helping with his grieving.

i>Dear Harry,

It is my wish that you join me here at Grimmauld Place, so that we can properly honor the memories of Padfoot, Prongs, and Lily.

I know you may not wish to be in the place that reminds you so much of Sirius, but we must both move on with our lives, and remember the good times of everyone that we care about.

Dumbledore will be coming to pick you up, as well as some other members of the Order, if you wish to come.

Remus /i>

Remus sent the letter to Harry with Fawkes, who had suddenly burst into the room, with a letter for Remus from Albus Dumbledore.

i>Remus,

Please know that my sympathies are with you and Harry. The Orders are as well.

Albus /i>

At least that was right, Remus thought.

Harry was lying on his bed, when all of a sudden a flash occured in his room. Uncle Vernon barged in through the door. It appeared that he had just been to the bathroom, since he carried bits of toilet paper, which were hanging from his pants.

"What the devil do you mean by it, boy, Uncle Vernon roared.

"What do I mean by what," Harry snapped back.

"That glden flash in your room," Uncle Vernon growled.

"I'm not sure," Harry lied.

"Don't give me that, boy," Uncle Vernon said. "You've done something, and now you're trying to hide it, so you don't get chucked out from that freak school of yours," Uncle Vernon said, coming to his favorite conclusion.

"If you really must know my every move," Harry said bitterly, "I received a letter from a Professor, well a former Professor at my school. I haven't read it yet, but if you will excuse me for a moment, I will now."

Harry scanned the letter, and felt his heart plummet. But, he thought it might help, so he sent Hedwig off to Grimauld Place, with a simple response, OKAY.

"What did your message say," Unlce Vernon asked.

"Remus has asked me to join him in remembering the lives of my father, my mother, and my god-father, you know, the escaped murderer."

"What was his ruddy name again? Ralph?"

"Sirius," Harry said, and heard a gasp in from behind Uncle Vernon. Aunt Petunia had been behind her husband at the door.

"Sirius... is dead," asked Aunt Petunia, looking extremely pale.

"Yes, Aunt Petunia," Harry said in a low voice. "He was a hero until the very end. How did you know him," Harry asked.

"If you will take me to your little ceremony, I will tell you later" she said in a high-pitched voice.

"But Petunia," Uncle Vernon said in a quiet voice, "you don't want to fraternize with those freaks."

"I am so sick and tired of you calling witches and wizards freaks," she said in a stronger voice. "I was expelled from that school in my sixth year myself, through no fault of my own. You heard me Vernon," Aunt Petunia bellowed, "You married a failed witch. When I was expelled, I gave up everything I had in the magical world, to live a normal life. I gave up everything that I once had, so that I wouldn't have to remember what I had lost."

"Why didn't you tell me at the first Petunia," Uncle Vernon squeaked at her.

"Because I knew that we wouldn't have lasted if I had told you," she said with a bite.

"I would have loved you, even for that," Vernon Dusley said.

"Bull, and you know it Vernon," Aunt Petunia raged at her husband. "I know I would have had to drag you down the aisle if I had told you at the time. You are an utter fool Vernon, and I feel pity and sorrow for you. It is way beyond time that I took up my place in the magical world. The place Lily would have wanted me to take."

With a faint pop, Dumbledore apparated into the bedroom.

"Headmaster," Aunt Petunia said to the old wizard standing in front of her.

"Petunia Dursley," he said kindly, "it is nice to hear that from you again. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"It's a long story, Professor, and I would prefer if you would use my maiden name, as I'm going to be divorcing this oaf, and coming back to our world."

"Very well, Mr. Evans. Am I right in thinking that you will be attending the ceremony that Remus has planned?"

"Harry and I will both go," Aunt Petunia said. "It would do me some good, as I haven't stepped foot into the magical world for over thirty years, ever since I was expelled."

"I think there is something I can do about that, Petunia," Dumbledore said kindly. "You were in your sixth year when you were expelled, if my memory serves me correct," he said.

"Yes, I was. I had just passed my OWL's."

"Ah yes, but I am able to bend a few rules myself," Dumbledore said with a chuckle, "since Cornelius wants my favor once again. I will allow you to complete your sixth and seventh years of study at the school, if you are prepared to work really hard."

"Yes, I am," Aunt Petunia said.

"What in the ruddy hell is going on here," said a red-faced Vernon Dursley. "You and the boy will not go to that freak school, do you hear me Petunia," Uncle Vernon bellowed at her.

"Shut up Vernon," she snapped. "I am tired of listening to your constant orders to me. I'm leaving," she said, striding over to stand with Harry and Albus Dumbledore, as they left the bedroom.

"You will regret this Petunia. Dudley will never come around you again, now that you are contaminated with that filth."

"And you know what Vernon? You are the most insensitive fool that I have ever had the misfortune to ever meet," Harry said to his Uncle. "She wants to go, and there is nothing you can do to stop her. She has the right to do what she wants, just like everyone else."

"What kind of rubbish is this," Uncle Vernon roared. "You're right, for a change boy," Uncle Vernon said, "Petunia has rights. But not when she is living with me. She has the right to cook, and clean for me, and she should be greatful I give her those rights," he barked.

Dudley popped into the room to see what all the shouting was about. he stopped as he heard his mother and father screaming at each other.

"She wants to be with that filth," Uncle Vernon said to Dudley as he raised an eyebrow in an unasked question.

"I think it's time for us to go Harry," Dumbledore said. "I will apparate to Grimmauld Place, while yourself, and your aunt use the floo network."

Dumbledore disapparated, as Harry and Aunt Petunia walked, hand in hand, to the fireplace, and used some floo powder, to go to "12 Grimmauld Place"


	3. Chapter 3

Harry and Petunia had both flooed into number twelve, Grimmauld Place,and were both brushing themselves off as a werewolf entered the room.

Remus Lupin looked at Harry with surprise as he saw Petunia with him,  
however he knew this was not the time for questioning them.

'I hope you are both well' he said grimly, and Harry's shoulders sagged. Lupin could tell that he was remembering Sirius still, and went to collect Harry in a hug. It was the first time he had ever tried to comfort another person in this way, but he felt as if Harry needed it,  
if only for a short while.

"I've been a lot better? Harry replied as he pulled himself out of Remus' grip. "I miss him so much," Harry said quietly.

"Remember though. He wasn't just your godfather, but also one of my best mates," Remus told Harry, and then looking at Petunia , "and other's lovers."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, in curiosity.

"We can discuss that later," Petunia said rather briskly. "Remus, I see you still have that furry little problem," she stated.

"It,s not like I can really get rid of it Petunia," he chuckled as he hugged her. "It,s been a long time since you,ve talked this openly," he said, and at her nod he backed off.

"It feels good to be out on my own now," she told him, and ignored Harry looking in between the two of them, questions in his eyes.

"How do you two know each other?" Harry asked.

"Petunia used to be Sirius' girlfriend at Hogwarts," Remus explained. "He was the consummate ladies man while we were in school. Bet he never let any of that slip to you, now did he?

"I thought you hated magic?" Harry asked his aunt in bafflement.

"I,ll explain everything later" she said, and grabbing Remus by the arm, she dragged him away from Harry.

What was that all about, Harry kept thinking to himself. He just couldn,t figure it out. Aunt Petunia was at Hogwarts? Something in his brain just could not keep the bombshell like revelation straight. My aunt was a witch? Is she still one?

If that was the case, why had she acted cruel towards him for so many years? Was it all because of Vernon,s belief that keeping him so downtrodden would kill him in some strange way? Or was it something even more sinister?

Harry looked out at what was now his place. He had inherited Grimmauld Place from Sirius, since he had passed into the otherworld. As much as he hated being stuck in the place where Sirius had been kept cooped up in, sort of like a prison during the last days of his life, he now knew how much of Sirius remained behind, and how much he missed seeing Sirius.

Even the portraits in which he had been in, which had become few and far between when Mrs. Weasley had decided to clean out the house were now lacking in Siriusness. He seemed to have left the pictures, just as he had left the mortal world behind.

Harry had never felt so lonely in his life, except in three different instances. The first one had happened when he had helped Hagrid get rid of Norbert, and in the process had lost Gryffindor one hundred and fifty points. Another one was after his name had been drawn from the Goblet of Fire during his fourth year, and the last time had been the previous year, when he thought Voldemort had possessed him.

All Harry knew was that with as lonely as he must feel, Remus must feel a hundred times worse. Remus had now lost all the connections to his past. The last Marauder was now dead. At least the Marauders that had not turn coated on everyone were all dead, except for himself, and that weasel Peter.

Harry crept out of the bedroom that he had made for himself, and padded quietly towards the room where he knew Remus was staying, however he stopped as he heard Remus, and a woman talking about him.

Bellatrix Lestrange looked over from her post in the dark lord,s headquarters at her fellow death eaters, and smiled icily at a man she did not trust for anything. Severus Snape, whom the dark lord counted amongst one of his most devout followers just looked at her with a wintery smile. He did not say a word to her. He didn,t have to. His eyes said all there was to say.

His eyes betrayed nothing, as he always kept his secrets deeply buried, so that no one, neither his enemies, nor his allies would know what would be going on in the inner thoughts of Severus Snape. The wintery smile quickly worked back into a still face as he noticed her looking at him with open suspicion in her eyes.

As he shielded his thoughts, Voldemort himself came out of his room and gestured for both of them to kneel before him.

"I admit to being disappointed in you and your minions while trying to retrieve the prophecy," Voldemort said coldly to Bellatrix, "however if you are ready to put the plan into motion, I believe I will forget my disappointment this once.

"Of course, my lord," Bellatrix said calmly, her eyes flicking towards Severus, wondering what his part in the plan might possibly be.

"Fool," Voldemort cackled. "The Dark Lord forgets nothing," he said, as he raised his wand for a curse. "I believe a little dose of pain might serve well so that you never sway your devotion again. Crucio: he said as he pointed his wand at her.

"We can't keep him in the dark about this," a woman was saying, and Harry was surprised to hear it coming from his aunt Petunia.

"You already know what could happen if we told him Petunia," another voice came. "It wasn't the voice of Remus Lupin however. It wasn't even Professor Dumbledore. It was the voice of the person whom he least expected to hear. Not even Uncle Vernon had made his heart race as much as his was now.

"I'm already sure he could handle this," Petunia said defiantly. "You and your family may want to keep acting as if he is still a child, but he has already been through so much.

"And I am grateful for that," the man said. "I already owe him my life, having seen the attack last year, and we owe him our daughter's life as well, but we still can't do anything right now. Dumbledore is right. We have to keep this from him for the time being.

"Arthur, I'm not going to stand here and argue with you, but the longer we keep this from him, the more he will end up resenting us. Is that what you really want?

Severus Snape writhed in pain as wave upon wave of the curse coursed through his body. It was an agony like none other visited upon him through his school days, and the years of being a faitfthful death eater.

Bellatrix drank up his own pain through her eyes, as if she was gaining strength by watching him writhing in agony. The glimmer which was often said to be in Dumbledore's eyes seemed to be in Bellatrix's eyes this night, until all of a sudden the wand hovered over her, and she fell to the floor, and lapped up the pain that was caused because of the curse.

"Now, neither of you shall forget whom your true master is," Voldemort said lazily as he raised his wand. "You two will prepare them.

Harry crept away from the door to Remus' room wondering what they were talking about. Whatever it was, it must be really important, or they wouldn?t be speaking that way towards each other.

As he walked away as quietly as he could, a face peered out at him from the door where he had stood listening. Remus Lupin had guessed that there was indeed someone at the door, and while the rest of the adults had had their heated argument, Remus was at the door waiting to see whomever it was which had been eavesdropping on their meeting. His heart fell when he saw it was Harry whom was walking away from the door.

"He knows something," Remus told the other people in the room, and looked crestfallen.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - A Lost Innocence -- Part Two 

Harry ran with all of his might from Grimmauld Place, not knowing what they might be hiding from him, and utterly consumed with it. He was sure if it was anything bad, Professor Dumbledore would inform him of it, as he had done with the prophecy, after many of his posessions had been destroyed.

What could they be hiding from me now? he kept asking himself, although he didn't have the foggiest idea.

After hours of running, he was in an unfamiliar part of London. He was sure no one would be able to follow him, since he had twisted his trail around so many times that he wasn't quite sure how to untangle it himself. He allowed himself a bit of a rest, before he would start to run again.

Maybe if I stay away, they won't try and find me, he thought to himself,  
although he knew it was selfish of himself to think this way.

"Did anyone see Harry?" Remus asked the people downstairs. They all looked at him and nodded.

"We've put a tail on him," Molly said quietly. "After what Arthur told the rest of us, we figured he wouldn't want to be disturbed, so we let him go. Tonks is trailing him.

"Thank god!" Remus exclaimed. "Now, if she doesn't lose herself, as well as him, we should be fine!

Tonks was indeed on Harry's trail. She had noticed how utterly woe begone he had looked, and decided to give him some space. Wherever he went, she was there, if only for an instant. Sometimes it had meant apparating away whenever he looked up, and sometimes it meant getting out of some extraordinary circumstances.

One time, a muggle please officer had thought she was stalking him. At least, that is what the muggle who had reported her to the police had said. It took her several moments to explain to the officer that she was just window shopping, and she had seen someone whom she had thought was attractive, and her eyes had been tracking him, but nothing more.

In the endm she had had to obliviate his memory, but the damage had already been done. Harry had spotted her, and she disapparated away as he raced up to her.

Harry sat on a park bench in the center of London, and watched the crowd around him. No one here would even think that there was more than one world. No one here would believe their was a magical world. Maybe if I can just blend in a little, he thought.

It was as he started walking into the crowd that he knew that there was something he couldn't leave behind, but knew he should. If he left her behind, she wouldn't be hurt by Voldemort when he finally came for Harry.

He had decided. He would blend into the muggle world. He knew it was wrong, however he knew it must be done.

Tonks apparated back to Grimmauld Place looked disappointed. Remus was beside her asking her for details.

"I got held up by a muggle police officer. I lost his trail.

Remus did not like the sound of that. He told her to find Harry if it was at all possible. He would not let Harry disappear from his life like Sirius, Lily, and James had all done.

"I promised them if anything happened, I would be here for him. Now,  
Petunia is here, and it's just like old times. I'm talking more to her about everything than I could them at most times, and now it's hurting Harry, just like it did to Lily, and James. Sirius never really cared whom I talked to, but I could tell it hurt him also.

"No need to worry about that Remus," Dumbledore said. "I have a feeling Harry will find his way back to us. We just have to keep the secret safe a little longer. I'm sorry.

"Would Lily and James actually allow you to keep doing this to their son Albus?" Remus screamed at Dumbledore. "You knew them almost as well as I did. I mean, you knew them just as well as I did. Being Harry's grandfather and all, and yet you keep watching him from a distance? How can you stand to be yourself?

"You already know the answer to that Remus. I have to keep my distance so that Voldemort doesn't know anything. It hurts more than even you can imagine.

Harry kept running, and found himself in front of a familiar place. He was once again outside Grimmauld Place. As he opened the door, he crashed to the floor.

A/N: Sorry it's so short... Part three of this cliffhanger chapter will be much longer!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - An Innocence Lost -- Part Three 

Harry fell flat on his face after closing the door to number twelve, Grimmauld Place. It only took a matter of seconds before he blacked out. He didn't hear any one come up behind him, and carry him up the stairs,into his bedroom.

Several of the members of the Order watched as Remus placed Harry on the bed, and then call for Albus. Whatever was wrong with Harry, Remus was sure Albus would be able to fix it. He had never failed before, and he wouldn't fail now.

"What's the matter?" Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts asked as he strode into the room, coming through the watching Order members. Albus looked at Remus, and then at Harry, and drew his wand. "I'll do a quick check, and then I would like someone to call Poppy from the school, and hopefully she can help us also.

No one moved as Albus performed his magic. Not a single word was exchanged between the members of the Order, nor between Albus Dumbledore, or even Remus, but as one they all held their collective breaths as Albus checked on Harry.

Albus hummed as he checked Harry, and in spots, he looked very pensive. It was something big that must have done this to Harry, he thought to himself, although he didn?t know what it could have been. He motioned everyone to follow him downstairs, and into their meeting room.

"Molly, please make the door imperturbable, so that nothing gets out of here," he said. Ginny, Ron, and Hermione made their way into the room, however at Dumbledore's request, they once again left the room, and went to get some extendable ears.

"So, what is the verdict, Albus?" Molly Weasley asked, fear plainly etched in her eyes.

"I am afraid that I really can't say Molly," Albus replied. "This is not something that usually happens as far as I know. As far as I know, this has never happened in history.

"Stop speaking mumbo jumbo Albus!" Tonks interjected. "Tell us what you know!

"I don't know much about his condition, only what I can guess," Albus said. "From what I can gather, all of his strength, and energy has been drained somehow. All of his magic has been zapped out of him, as has his physical, and mental strength. Right now, he is as weak as a new born baby duck, however we still do not know what caused this.

"You must have some idea Albus," Remus interrupted.

"In fact, I have several, however none of them I wish to share with you, since they may all be wrong. I would rather base my hunches on solid facts.

"Most of your ideas may be wrong?" Mad Eye said in a growl ,"however your ideas usually turn out to be right, so cough up.

"One of my theories is that someone was able to get close to him, however possible it was, and caused him to go into this state by some sort of curse. It is only a theory though.

"Right now, what he needs is his family, but unfortunately they seem to be away from here at the moment.

"It is done my Lord," a death eater said to Lord Voldemort. "Your plan may yet come to fruition. 

"It will come to bear fruit, as my plans always do," Voldemort said in a cold voice. "You must never forget that Rosier," Voldemort cackled. "I want you to remember how merciful Lord Voldemort is to his faithful followers. People who have never wavered in their devotion to me. People who have always been my most favored devotees, which doesn't include you. Crucio," Voldemort screamed, and Rosier fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

"Master -- please -- stop," Rosier managed to croak as he was tortured by Voldemort. He continued writhing in pain for several more minutes, and then finally he raised his wand.

"Never let your loyalty waver again, Rosier," Voldemort spat.

"Bellatrix, remove this vermin from my sight.

Harry lay in bed, tossing and turning, oblivious to the meetings being held about him.

Outside the door, Hermione, Ginny and Ron all stood silent vigil over his bedroom, mindful not to let anyone in. They had seen Harry being carried up the stairs, however the adults had kept them out of ear shot of anything. That had not set well with any of the three of them, since it was their best friend that was being discussed, they were eager for any information. They all jumped as someone started coming up the stairs.

"What do you mean by that," Molly raged at Albus Dumbledore. "Unless I am much mistaken, his family is right here, and we deserve to know what happened to him.

"Everything will become clear in time Molly," Albus said. "As soon as Poppy arrives, she can give us a more detailed explanation of what occurred tonight. You, along with everyone else will simply have to wait. Harry has no family, as it is, so you will be among the first to hear what Poppy has to say, since you seem to care about Harry as if he were your son.

"He is as good as our son," Molly exclaimed, and Arthur nodded in agreement, seconding their devotion to Harry.

"Then give us time to discover the cause of this, for Harry's sake. Albus tried reasoning with Molly.

Madame Pomfrey was let into the bedroom with very little questioning from the threesome standing outside the door, since she let them know she wouldn't know anything until she actually performed a check up on him.

As she entered the bedroom she noticed how gaunt his face and body both looked. And set to work on trying to cure him. Half an hour later she had not even made a dent in his condition, and according to the readings she had taken, his condition would only worsen. It was the worst day of her professional life as the matron of Hogwarts, but she had few ideas as to how to even help ease the pain he was currently in.

Finally, three hours later, she emerged from the room, and ignored the questions asked by Ron, Hermione, and Ginny and set off to see Albus, and deliver a report. What she said to the members of the Order was not very promising.

Harry woke for a second, in bed, and tried to get up. He couldn;t understand it, but he felt as weak as a new born puppy, and could not even gather the strength to sit up in the bed. He cried out in pain, and immediately the door flew open, and Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all burst in to see what was wrong.

"Ron," he said weakly, "get Dumbledore please. Tell him I need him!" Harry then passed out.

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny opened the meeting room door, and entered as quietly as they could. No one noticed their entrances except for Albus Dumbledore himself, as well as Fred and George. They winked at the three before turning back to Poppy again.

"As you all know, this condition is something that has only been recorded once in known history, since I was able to find it in older books, and his prognosis does not look good at all.

"From what I can gather, his magical energy, and his mental and physical strength has all disappeared from his body. This has only happened one time in all of recorded history, and that was in the time of Merlin. Now, records from those days are sketchy at best, however from what I could decipher, this happened before he came fully into his powers of wand less magic.

"It took Merlin three years to wake up, however as we know with Mr. Potter, things tend to be a little bit different.

"He's already woken up!" Ron blurted out, and saw everyone swivel their heads towards him.

"How did you three get in here?" Molly asked angrily.

"We care as much about Harry as you all do also, so why shouldn't we be here?" Ginny piped up.

"Let them be Molly," Albus said, and Molly looked daggers at Dumbledore. "They deserve to know what is happening to their friend as well.

"Well, as I was saying, the only recorded incident was back in the time of Merlin. From what I could gather, it took Merlin three years to wake, but when he did, his powers tested well above where they had been before.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - A Lost Innocence -- Part Four 

"But he's already awake," Ginny piped up.

"Harry's awake," Hermione also chimed in. "We heard him moving around, and talking. He asked for Professor Dumbledore," she said, and motioned towards Ron.

"Yes, he did ask for you, Professor," Ron said, and everyone in the room went silent, "and then he passed out again.

"The situation is more grave than anyone of us knows," Dumbledore intoned. "We must wait for him to recover fully before we spring anything on him. The funeral for Sirius will have to wait until he is feeling better. I think Sirius would appreciate his friends, and especially his godson attending his funeral," Dumbledore said, and everyone nodded. "But, as for now, I believe I will go and check on him.  
Would you care to accompany me, Poppy, and you Molly?"

The two women nodded, and they all walked up the stairs.

"Now, I must warn you both, that no matter what happens in the room, we must all be prepared. No matter what, we must all be on guard. With Harry not being in great condition, Voldemort can posess him much more easily than he could when Harry is at full strength.

Downstairs, the dining room had gone deathly quiet. Noone dared speak until the three descended the stairs. The silence was broken a few moments later, but not by anybody speaking, but the crackling of the flames in the fireplace. It seemed everyone was lost in their own private thoughts, although noone would say what they were thinking about.

Only one person seemed to be letting loose their own emotional storm. A small tear escaped from the eyes of...

Dumbledore knocked on the bedroom door, and received no answer. He knocked three more times, and still no responce was forthcoming. Molly looked on in horror as Harry lay still in his bed, unknowing about the world he had left behind. It was only when Dumbledore had opened the door that Molly could see fully how Harry looked.

A soft glow was coming off of his skin. Not sure what the glow was,  
Molly moved away as Poppy and Dumbledore moved in to examine Harry. The soft glow did not continue to brighten as Dumbledore believed, but the glow stayed consistent throughout his body. It seemed to be coming from his eyes, and then it covered his whole body.

Poppy tried a reviving spell on Harry, however it bounced back. Perturbed that a mere student could do that to her, she tried to force a calming draught down his throat. He drank it, however it seemed to be working on Poppy instead of him, since she could taste it in her mouth. How could he have done that, she wondered.

Ginny. The tears continued unabated, however noone noticed, since they were pre-occuopied with their own thoughts. Each was thinking about what might happen if Harry did not make it. Ginny wondered why she was crying about this very thought, because she and Dean Thomas were together. How could she feel this way still towards Harry? She did not understand it at all.

She was over Harry Potter, the boy who lived, or so she thought she was. How could one boy affect her so? Was it just because he had saved her from the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, or was it something more?

_Why am I feeling this way_, she thought furiously to herself. To take her mind off these thoughts, she cast a look around the room.

Remus was looking very careworn. He was now the last of Harry's guardians remaining. His hair which had had color in it at one time now was pure silver throughout, which showed how much he had aged since Sirius' death. It was not fair to him that he might even lose Harry, his final connection to Lily and James.

Her father, Arthur Weasley looked upstairs, almost as if to hear what was going on. Ginny knew he and her mother both cared about Harry very much, however he couldn't help wondering what was going on.

All of a sudden, a golden glow entered the dining room, the same as what Harry was now dealing with. Everyone snapped out of their own thoughts, and looked at what was now going on inside the dining room. It didn't seem to emenate anywhere within, but it seemed to be directed towards one person.

Harry woke briefly once again. He whispered "tell her I love her," and then passed out again. The three people in the room knew there was nothing more that could be done, and they left the room, all wondering who the "her" meant. As they walked down the steps, the dining room also filled with the golden glow, they entered, and were astonished to see everyone looking towards a certain red headed girl. She was now floating in the air, concern etched over her face, but now they all knew whom Harry liked, if only he would wake up again.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - A Lost Innocence -- Part Five

"What is going on here?" Ginny yelled as she lifted from the floor. "Can anyone do anything to stop this?

Molly looked very pleased at the situation. She had always known that Ginny had liked Harry, and now it seemed as if Harry was returning her feelings, however it was in a way that only three people knew about. Immediately her face turned blank as she surveyed the scene though, with her daughter, also bathed in a golden glow, floating slowly towards the ceiling of the dining room of Grimmauld Place.

"Can anyone do anything to stop this?" Ginny yelled again, bringing Molly back to reality swiftly.

"I'm sorry Miss Weasley," Albus Dumbledore said, "but there is nothing any of us down here can do.

"What are you talking about Albus," Tonks queried.

"It seems that Harry's choice has been made as to whom he would like to be with him as a girlfriend," Molly said, and sounded as if she had a bad head cold, "so, the only one who you need to talk to is him," Molly told her daughter.

"But, he knows I am with Dean," Ginny raged. "How could he do this to me after all this time?"

"Do you love him?" Fred asked Ginny.

"Do I love who?"

"Either one," George piped in.

Ginny had to pause to think up an answer. Everyone in the dining room was smirking, as they all thought they could see the conclusion she would come to. It really wasn't that hard for Ginny to answer, but she still felt as if she needed to sort out her thoughts on the subject.

"I like Dean plenty-

"But, do you love him?" Arthur asked.

Ginny's head swam. Did she realy love Dean? She was not quite sure where he sat in that kind of situation.

"I like Dean - but...

Everyone swiveled their heads towards her, as they waited for her final answer.

"I will always Love Harry.

"It seems you are now in a very bad situation, Ginny," Hermione said. "You can either now choose to be with Dean, whom you like, or Harry, who you truly love.

"Don't rush me," Ginny yelled. But, her dismay was evident on her face, and the room was transfixed as two other people flew into the air,surrounded by a golden glow like the one surrounding Ginny.

Hermione, and Tonks...

Several hundred miles away, two other people rose into the air, and were surrounded by a golden glow. Luna Lovegood, and Pansy Parkinson boh rose into the air, unknownst to each other, as this was a very unique situation.

"What in the hell is going on here?" Mr. Parkinson raged as he saw his daughter gently rise into the air. "Is this another trick of Dumbledore's? Doesn't he realize that the Dark Lord has always been with our family, and we will always be beside him?

Luna rose up into the air gracefully, and spread her arms. Her father watched on in awe, and immediately picked up his notepad, since this might be something for the Quibbler.

"What does it feel like Darling?

"It feels like pure Love.

"Do you know who it's coming from?

"Harry," Luna breathed.

Across the world in the United States, one other girl rose into the air. This was not a very common experience in this part of the world, since magic was not known in the United States. Least of all, it was not known by the Muggle family to which this was now happening.

Their sixteen year old daughter Kissie was now floating gently in the air.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 - An Innocence Lost - Part Six

Kissie floated in the air gently, enveloped by a glow not of this world. Her parents, were of course terrified, never having seen something like this ever happening before.

"It's alright," Kissie said. "It's not hurting me.

"Not yet," her father said warningly. "How are we supposed to know what is happening? This is not normal!

Pansy Parkinson was flung backwards. The strange glow that surrounded her also disappeared at the moment she flew back towards the wall.

Halfway between shock, and a certain amount of awe at the power, Mr. Parkinson felt for a pulse. It was there, but it was very weak. He thought he had it all figured out, but at that precise moment, an owl flew into the house, from Voldemort.

It seemed from the owl, that Voldemort had felt the aura as well, and was now as hurt as Pansy was. According to Voldemort, anyone who was connected to his large army of Death Eaters could feel the pain of the others, and Voldemort being the center of all of the army felt the pain just as intensely as the person in pain.

Voldemort apperated into the Parkinson's house, and decided to take a look at Pansy. He slowly looked her up and down, and was not able to do anything to help her. He knew what had happened, and he knew there would be nothing he could do, since even he could not stop her from meeting death.

Luna was let down gently from the spell. She silently let out a sigh, because she knew that Harry had not chosen her, except as a friend. She was not sure if she could accept that, but she knew that she had to, for her sake, as well as his.

"What happened, Luna?" her father asked her.

"He chose someone else to be with," she said quietly, her head down in her hands as the tears stared flowing.

"Do you know who?

"I don't really want to know," she stated simply.

"I'm sorry Lun," Mr. Lovegood told his daughter. "I know you like him, but he has to follow his heart, just like you must follow your heart.

Tonks slowly drifted to the ground, and she looked over at Harry, Ginny, and Hermione all in the air at the same time. She looked sad, but a little happy as well. She was not sure why, but she knew that whatever happened it would be for the best.

The rest of the Order was looking frightened, because they weren't sure what would happen. This was unprecedented as far as they knew, and nobody knew which way it would end up.

Kissie floated back towards the ground, a big grin splitting her face in two. She knew something strange and good had just touched her, but she wasn't sure why it was so good.

Ginny and Hermione both floated into the air, with the aura surrounding them, and then Harry fell from the air, and landed on the table where the Order had all their papers from the meeting that had just been taking place.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 – An Innocence Lost – Final part

It was an indescribable feeling being up in the air, surrounded by a strange aura for both Ginny, and Hermione. Neither realized that there was an intense battle going on in Harry's mind.

"_Who do I care about more?" _Harry questioned himself. _They are both special to me in so many ways,_ he thought. Harry's mind raced at the possibilities both girls offered, and he could not seem to wrap his head around any of them at all. It all seemed so surreal to him, that he would even be thinking these thoughts towards either Hermione, or Ginny.

"What in the heck is going on Albus?" Molly Weasley asked, scared for all three of them. She looked down at Harry, concern etched on her face, and a certain despair creeping into her eyes. She then looked at the two girls hovering in the air. There was Hermione, a girl almost like a daughter, and then there was Ginny, her own fifteen year old daughter, who was being torn from side to side by two different boys.

Harry had never shown any interest in any girl as far as Molly knew, which was just as well to Ron, and Hermione, as well as Ginny, since she didn't know about the Cho disaster, and all her fright seemed to take hold of her all at one moment. How would she be able to hold on to all three, all so dear to her.

"I believe Harry has narrowed down his feelings towards Ms. Granger, and young Ms. Weasley," was all Albus could say. "I have my opinions as to what is happening, but they are little more than that at the moment.

Molly's worst feelings were confirmed. If Dumbledore didn't have a firm feeling as to what was going on, whom could she count on.

Severus Snape watched the scene play out with a little sneer. How could someone so young defeat the Dark Lord, he thought to himself. The sneer was never out of place whence it came to Harry Potter, but now it looked more like a true hatred had finally boiled up beneath Severus Snape, and it looked like it was about to boil over.

Petunia Dursley watched the scene with a mixture of shock, and surprise. She had never expected top see such a spectacle within a few days of reentering the magical world. This was not what she had come to expect from life, but as Dumbledore looked on, she noticed his eyes turn her way, as if to say "He's always been this way."

"What is wrong with her?" Boris Parkinson asked his master, the Dark Lord.

"If I told you how long she had to live, my friend, it would not help you. She will die in the name of the Death Eaters fight for purification of the magical world.

"But, I want to know what happened to her?

"She was picked by some sort of ancient magic, something that Dumbledore claims is the ultimate magic, but she appears to have been rejected all the same.

"Can we do anything to help her?

"No," Voldemort said in a chilly voice. "She is beyond saving.

Harry finally came to wake up, and became aware that one of his best friends was floating in the air, and his other best friend's sister was also floating in the air. Shaking his head, as if to free it from cobwebs, he carefully got off the table he landed on, and looked at them both.

"What happened here?" he asked, and looked over at Dumbledore for an explination.

"Do you not know about anything that happened?" Dumbledore asked, to which Harry shook his head no, and then hesitated for a second, as if remembering some details.

"I think I killed someone," he said finally, and everyone in the room gasped, except for Severus Snape, and Dumbledore, who just looked on and waited for Harry to continue.

"I remember coming back form a run, and then passing out. After that, I don't really remember anything, until I heard someone calling for Voldemort. I think it was Pansy Parkinson's father. I don't know what happened, but I think she had the same glow around her, like Ginny and Hermione do, and I also remember seeing a muggle with the same glow around her, and lastly Luna.

"That is interesting. Severus, I need you to report to him, please," Dumbledore said with authority, and Snape nodded his head, and left Grimmauld Place. "That is very interesting. How could Pansy Parkinson, a muggle, Tonks, Hermione, and Ginny, amd Miss Lovegood all be related?

"Don't you have any idea as to this puzzle?" Arthur Weasley asked.

"My only guess would be that Harry felt strong feelings towards each, however I can not even guess as to how the muggle girl ended up in this chain. Pansy was thrown against a wall, possibly because Harry rejected her. Tonks merely descended to the floor, and more than likely the muggle girl did as well, although that is not something I can even guess about right now, since I don't have all the information needed.

"So, why are these two still in the air?" Harry asked.

"You have to pick which one you love," Remus said, and Dumbledore simply nodded.

"But, I don't love either," Harry said stubbornly.

"Listen to what your heart says Harry," Remus told him. "There is no other reason for them to be up there. Your father never gave up on love, and he wouldn't want you to either. After everything you have gone through in your life, don't you feel you need some happiness?

"I can't do that to either of them!" Harry bellowed. "If I do anything, Voldemort will find out, and use them to get to me. I can't inflict that on anyone.

"Trust in yourself, laddie," Mad Eye said. "You will make the right choice for yourself, and we can do the rest. We can do everything in our power to make sure You-Know-Who won't find out anything.

"I choose…

"Who do you choose, Harry?" a voice said to them all. To Dumbledore's astonishment, and Remus' great shock, it sounded as if it was the voice of Lily Evans, Harry's dead mother.

"I choose…

"Who do you choose son?" another voice came down. This time, it sounded as if it was James Potter, Harry's dead father.

"I choose…

"Which one suits your fancy?" came another voice. This one, much to Harry's astonishment, sounded as if it was Sirius.

"I choose…

"You will have to pick one of them," the three voices said together.

"I choose, my choice, is…

Back in America, Kissie was looking about the kitchen, wondering if anything else would happen to her. She was not sure what had happened to her, but she was not very keen to repeat the experience. It had greatly unnerved her to be sitting one moment, then to be floating the next.

"Is it over?" he father asked.

"I sure hope so," Kissie answered him, and hugged him as if trying to say it was over non-verbally.

"I choose…

"Make a choice already," Mundungus said.

"I choose… them both," Harry finished, but they both stayed in the air. It was clear to Harry and the others, that one of them would feel left out.

"You have to choose one, or the other of us," Ginny mentioned. "Don't worry about hurting our feelings if you don't choose one of us, but if you choose neither of us, we may both end up being dead.

"You have to choose, Harry," Hermione told him kindly. "We will all support your decision.

"I choose…

"Hurry up mate," Ron said, and Molly and Arthur hushed him. They both knew that this was not a decision that Harry should rush towards.

"I choose…Ginny," he said quietly, and then both Hermione and Ginny floated back towards the floor, the auras surrounding all three of them, and then an explosion of light erupted from Harry, and seemed to envelop all three of them.

"What was that?" Petunia asked.

"If my observations are correct, Harry just gave some of his power to both Ginny, and Hermione," Dumbledore smiled.

"What do you mean?

"We discussed this earlier," Dumbledore intoned. "When Harry fell into the deep sleep he was in, we figured he was going through something having to do with his powers. It looks like it was indeed.

"But, what was that flash then?" Tonks asked quietly.

"Harry passed some of his powers onto both Ginny, and Hermione, and in doing so, he helped himself absorb the powers he has been given. We won't know what those powers are until Poppy can check on him, however I have my suspicions.

"Has something like this ever happened before?" Remus Lupin asked.

"Not as far as I am aware, but it has been described before in the time of Merlin, several hundred years ago. This kind of situation has never been discussed by any former Headmaster or Headmistress of Hogwarts, but that doesn't mean that something like this hasn't happened before. Miss Granger?

"Yes, Professor?" Hermione said, a little groggy from the experience still.

"Have you seen about anything like this in any of the books you have read?

"If I remember correctly, it was mentioned briefly in Hogwarts: A History, from back in the time of the four founders. According to the book, it is a legend that was set back when Godric Gryffindor was going through some traumatic times, and both Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff both rose up into the air in the same way both Ginny and I did/

"Does this mean Harry is a direct descendant of Gryffindor?

"We can not be sure of that," Dumbledore said quietly, "since all records of Godric's family lines were all erased from the files at Hogwarts. I have gone through them many times, however whenever I look at the files for Godric, everything seems to go blank after him. Now, it may be possible that he himself was the last of his line, however I do not believe that to be so. I believe his line continues, even to this day.

"Is there not anything in the Ministry with regards to the founders families?" Molly asked.

"Not that any of us can get to," Moody announced. "Arthur is not that high ranking, so he would never get the security clearance, so we would never know.

"I think Hogwarts: A History might have a bit about this," Hermione mentioned. She ran off to get her copy, and was back within a minute.

"Ah yes," Dumbledore announced. "This has much more of the lines than the school itself has, since our records are not magically updated, unlike the book. This lists the whole of Gryffindor's line, and includes me, of course, and Harry.

Harry looked over at Dumbledore, as if Dumbledore had made a mistake. Harry had never expected to be related to Dumbledore in such a way, and of course he never expected to be related, however distantly to Godric Gryffindor.

"This just can't be possible," Harry muttered to himself.


End file.
